by AC Guillermo
As I sit here in my Ormond Beach condo, tropical storm Fay is pounding us with heavy rain and winds. Its days like this I wish Brian and Jim would reconsider my idea of making the World Center of Racing a domed facility. Heck, the Chinese can build a bird’s nest the size of Connecticut, so why not a roof at Daytona?
And speaking of Chinese, how about them Olympics? Pretty amazing stuff. I think the Rolex Series should be running in Beijing. I mean one day the Chinese are running over their students with tanks in Tiananmen Square, and the next day they are playing beach volleyball there. How cool is that? I bet the Chinese could promote a darn good Rolex Series race. They’ll have plenty of podiums left over and I am sure Scott Pruett is a national hero over there.
Anyway, this column isn’t about the Olympics. I recently read an article that stated the Grand-Am series was “one of the biggest box office flops in recent motorsports history.” Sure, times are getting tough in this business. Even our soon-to-be-parent company NASCAR is having a little trouble filling the grandstands, so things are getting a little tense over at International Speedway Boulevard think tank.
But to call the Rolex Series a flop is utterly ridiculous. We have the world’s fastest and most exotic prototypes, the most advanced technology in motorsports (at a very affordable price, I might add), the amazing Pontiac class, the world’s best drivers, and most important- a mailing address the same as NASCAR!
By eliminating spectators from the equation, Grand-Am has established one of the best deals for track promoters. And Grand-Am’s steadily declining entry means less wear and tear on your paddock. No wonder tracks from coast-to-coast are clamoring for a Rolex Series race. As my mentor at the Daytona News-Journal told me, Grand-Am is probably one of the greatest success stories in the history of auto racing. And he should know, being a shareholder in ISC.
I’ll discuss the financial benefits for promoters to host a Grand-Am race at their facility in a future column, but I have a lot of emails to answer right now. The bear forwarded me a lot of fan mail, and I’ve included just a few of the hundreds received from adoring fans who appreciate this journalist’s keen insight.
“I think the Rolex 24 should include motorcycles.” – Anonymous, Daytona Beach, FL.
“A.C., please be sure to mention our upcoming open house during the 2009 Rolex 24 weekend- all road racing fans are encouraged to visit. Every guests will be warmly welcomed after finger-printing, intense questioning and verbal abuse.” - Daytona International Speedway Security Department.
“Wow, that entry for the Petit Le Mans is pathetic. Audi vs. Peugeot again. I mean, how boring is that? You can be sure we won’t mention anything about it in the paper.” - Anonymous, Sports Dept., Daytona News-Journal.
“The Koni Challenge is not changing its name to Talladega International Touring Series (TITS) as suggested in your recent column. However, NASCAR may make it an all-oval series beginning in 2010. If so, it will be called the Daytona Oval Racing Koni Series (DORKS).” - R.E., Daytona Beach, FL
“You are a damn good writer. Lets get together for a Zima one of these days.” W.T., Altamonte Springs, FL
“I think Scott Pruett is the greatest race car driver in the history of the world.” - Mrs. S.P., California.
“I love synchronized swimming. We should have a synchronized tire changing competition during the Rolex 24.” - H.H., Jacksonville, FL
“A.C., do you know anyone who will haul away all these torn-up Goodyear tires? Could Brian make an artificial reef in Lake Lloyd?” – T.G., Speedway, IN
“There were 17 entries at Sonoma, and 17 spectators. What are the odds of that happening again!” A.F., Rolex Series Cheerleader.
“Every ALMS race destroys at least 500 acres of rain forests.” D.C.W., Daytona Beach, FL
AC
Funny you should mention Grand-Am “eliminating spectators from the equation” because according to the sales office at the track this weekends event at NJ Motorsports Park is sold out.
Sold out? A road course venue? You’re kidding, aren’t you? (Perhaps you’ve never been to a race where you don’t sit in bleachers?)
I’ve been sitting on top of the infield hill at Lime Rock watching the Esses every summer for the better part of a decade, so it came as quite a shock when the lady on the phone today told me that there were no available tickets for this weekends event at NJMP.
There are no longer tickets available through Comcast Tickets, however when I called the track directly they said there would be no problem walking up on Sunday and getting admission.
My apologies, Cypher09, you are right, at least as far as outlet Comcast Tickets is concerned. Murphy was a little surprised, there having never been a road course race sellout in history. It’s a heck of a marketing idea, though, as one of Murphy’s friends (who has something to do with such things) pointed out to him in a note this morning:
“What a concept! Just stop selling tickets and say you are “sold out.” Why didn’t I think of that? Further proof Jimmy Hoffa is buried somewhere underneath NJ Motorsports Park.”
On the other hand, perhaps Grand Am has hit on yet another way to discourage those pesky spectators from getting in the way of their team’s fun club weekend.